The Minnesota Credit Union Network Marketing Awards acknowledges the outstanding programs credit unions have created to grow brand awareness and market to members and nonmembers alike. 

There is no cost to submit entries for Minnesota Credit Union Network-affiliated credit unions and submissions are open through 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, October 29, 2021. Winners will be announced in December 2021. Full details and submissions forms are available on the Marketing Awards page of the MnCUN.org website.

Entry Categories:

• Branding
• Community Impact & Outreach
• Digital Advertising
• Video
• Complete Campaign
• Printed Material

​Asset Categories:

• More than $1 billion
• $500 million to $1 billion
• $250 million to $500 million
• $100 million to $250 million
• Less than $100 million

Contact Julia Miller, MnCUN Director of Communications by email with questions. 

Learn more about the outstanding programs, new initiatives and well-deserved recognition received by your peers recently. Recent highlights include:

• Affinity Plus Credit Union: St. Paul mayor, community leaders announce new efforts to support immigrants, refugees, 
• RCU Foundation Gives $250,000 to Riverwood Nature Center, 
• Mower County Employees Credit Union: Celebrating 60 Years of Member Service and 
• ​Fulda Area Credit Union celebrates 35 years in business. 
  

​Got news of your own? Send stories, pitches, press releases and published articles to MnCUN Director of Communications Julia Miller. 

Watch Minnesota credit union employees and members share in their own words why credit unions are the better choice for families, business owners, and communities across the state.

​​​​The goal of the website is to demonstrate the CU Difference to decision makers and elected officials through testimonials from credit union staff, members, and Board and Committee members.

To maximize the impact of this effort, we need your help.  We are looking for stories that show how credit unions provide affordable financial services and put members and communities first. Share your story by uploading a video to: Working for Minnesota.

Contact Julia Miller,  MnCUN Director or Communications, with questions.

Join the upcoming Call Center Peer-to-Peer (P2P) on Thursday, October 14 starting at 2:00 p.m. via webinar and video conference. 

The second Call Center P2P of 2021 will be an open format conversation with peers around credit union call center hot topics, trends and issues. This event is meant to be an opportunity to meet and share with one another. Details regarding content and presentations to come! 

​Date: Thursday, October 14
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Webinar/Video Conference 
Cost: $39
This event will only be made available via webinar. 

For a list of all P2P sessions, visit our Peer-to-Peer (P2P)webpage. With questions, please contact MnCUN Director of Engagement Ben Hering by email or by phone at 651-288-5519.

CUNA Mutual Group and Inclusiv are collaborating to help raise credit union awareness and utilization of the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) program: 
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• Need guidance on CDFI Certification? Join the Inclusiv/CUNA Mutual Group Office Hours. Inclusiv staff will provide an overview and answer questions pertaining to CDFI Certification every Wednesday from 2:00 - 3:00 pm.
  • In 2021, an unprecedented level of funding was allocated to CDFIs by the CDFI Fund and Treasury's Emergency Capital Investment Program. The next round of CDFI funding ($1.75 billion) will be targeted specifically to MDIs; however, only 15% of minority-designated credit unions are CDFI certified. Inclusiv offers specific resources targeted to MDIs interested in becoming CDFI certified and accessing these federal grants. Every third Wednesday of the month, the office hour will be dedicated to MDIs (September 15, October 20, November 17).
    
    

• The Streamlined CDFI Application Qualifying Round opens September 12-October 15th: On August 25, 2021 NCUA provided the following newsroom update. You can also find some helpful video tutorials on the Streamlined Application in the Inclusiv video library.  
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• 2021 Inclusiv e-Books Juntos Avanzamos and the CDFI Credit Unions Build Inclusive Economies. 

Early Bird Registration Deadline: Wednesday, October 20, 2021. (Use promo code EarlyBird2021 to receive $50 off the regular registration rate)

Registration Closes: Wednesday, November 3, 2021

MnCUN is committed to the well-being of all attendees, guests, sponsors, speakers, and staff as we return to in person events. We will follow the current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state and local governments that are in effect at the time of the conference. Staff will continue to monitor the situation leading up to and at the event, and communicate any possible changes.

In addition to full conference, in person registration, we are also offering a new Virtual registration option that will provide viewing access to the conference general sessions.
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With questions, contact MnCUN Vice President of Communications and Engagement Andrea Molnau or Director of Engagement Ben Hering.

Minnesota’s 2021 Credit Union Awareness Initiative going strong. The campaign is a research-based effort to grow awareness of credit unions as the best financial partner for consumers. Digital media ads continue to drive consumers to the YourMoneyFurther.com website to learn more about the advantages of credit unions. 

Though August 31, the campaign has garnered over 44 million digital impressions through Online Video, Banner Ads, Social Media and streaming TV ads delivered throughout the state. The Video Completion Rate for online ads is 57%, and streaming TV ads are 98%, showing consumers are continuing to watch the ads. Click through rates are meeting benchmarks and delivering consumers to the YourMoneyFurther website. 

Earlier this summer, MnCUN deployed several out of home tactics to supplement the digital efforts, including:

• Greater Minnesota Bus wraps
• Digital Trucks at regional events such as Twin Cities Pride, WeFest, Bayfront Blues Fest, TC Summer Jam
• Minnesota State Fair Bathroom ads, Bus wraps, and a Kare 11 Barn sponsorship that included digital ads and a live interview from the fair.

​A result report  through August 31, 2021 is available for credit unions to review and share with their staff and Boards. Furthermore, CUNA’s Credit Union Awareness team recently released their July 2021 bi-annual research results, showing the campaign has made significant progress nationally as well. 

The Awareness initiative represents the true spirit of the cooperative movement to help more consumers understand the advantages being a credit union member. With questions, please contact Andrea Molnau, VP Communications & Engagement, by email or 651-288-5527.

Attendees and guests gathered at Madden's new Outdoor Pavilion for a barbecue on Friday night. The Golf Tournament and bingo returned and a Cornhole tournament, a new activity, debuted on Saturday afternoon.

Mark your calendars for LEAD 22, Sept. 14-16, 2022, back at Madden’s Resort. For more MnCUN events, visit the education calendar.